Healthcare district OKs ballot measure for lease

LA MESA  The Grossmont Healthcare District has launched preparations for a possible June ballot measure to extend the existing lease agreement with Sharp HealthCare for the operation of Grossmont Hospital.

District board members on Monday gave the go-ahead to begin preparing a ballot measure with the June election as a target date. The board's final decision whether to proceed in June is expected in early March.

The district is a public agency that serves as landlord of the La Mesa hospital on behalf of the community.

The district and Sharp HealthCare are making revisions to a lease extension agreement, which would be available for public review and input when finalized. A 30-year lease with Sharp signed in 1991 is scheduled to expire in 2021.

Discussions have been underway for more than a year about extending the lease for 30 years, while making improvements to the current agreement.

“This is a unique opportunity for the citizens to consider extending the agreement with Sharp HealthCare,” said District CEO Barry Jantz. “This is a public-private partnership that has served the community for over two decades, bringing millions of dollars in Sharp funding to maintain and improve East County’s community-owned hospital as a state-of-the-art facility.”

Based on state law, voters have the ability to approve any hospital lease extension between the district and Sharp. Passed in 2005, Assembly Bill 1155 specified that the district could extend its lease with Sharp following a vote of the people. Grossmont is the only healthcare district in California allowed to consider a lease extension.